2021-06-22 - Burning Carbs

The problem with being a cop.. well, one of the problems with being a cop, is the requirement to stay in shape. Or some semblance of it. And de la Vega is one of a cohort of GHPD who actually takes the directive seriously. Normally he'd be holed up at Kelly's Gym with his knuckles taped, whaling on a bag. But for some incomprehensible reason he's chosen to slum it at the mall tonight.

He slouches in, in a tee shirt and track pants, duffle bag slung across one shoulder. And grimaces at the music as he goes to sign in.

The cardio machines are convenient located in front of the window. Over the top of her control panel Cassidy spied Ruiz on the way in. Let's be honest - their last encounter was less than cordial. They'll probably be telling stories about the ADA 'who yelled so loud the ceiling tiles fell out'. (To be fair - it was /one/ ceiling tile and it was due to fall anyway, just interesting timing.) And police chiefs from here on out will probably wonder how that giant dent in the dry wall got there.

But this is a public space and even Cassidy isn't about to lose it - not here, at least. So she begins stealing herself now and practicing her counting to ten.

If they know what's best for them, they'll not bother asking any questions. Enough skeletons in the GHPD's closet for a graveyard.

Finished scrawling his signature in an illegible scribble, Javier attempts something like a smile for the girl behind the desk. Who watches him go briefly, before returning to her phone. "Bennet," he greets the blonde hidden somewhere under all that pink and purple, as he prowls past. It's her shoes he's watching for a beat or two. And then, with that telling little twitch in his jaw, her face. And then he slings his bag down atop the row of cubbies, and starts shrugging out of his wet jacket.

The blond's eyes watch Javier sign in, walk from the desk, and as he's passing by. It's obvious and not hidden. She's looking /at/ him. Even when he's attempting to not look directly at her, she's locked-on like cross-hairs.

After he delivers his greeting (of her last name) she looks /away/ - back to the windows in front of her. Her mouth starts moving and a lip reader could probably tell you it's silent numbers, starting at 1...2.... (deep breath)....3....

Jacket off, he rakes his fingers through his damp curls a few times, and squints a little as the music switches up. Is that George Michael? The fuck. Grabbing his water bottle, he ambles across the floor toward the corner with the weights. And catches Cassidy's laser-pointed stare about to burn a hole in his skull. "Pretty wet out there, yeah?" is all he has to say, though, with a thump as he settles in at the bench and starts slotting in weights. "You got a place to stay?"

Cassidy misses the comment on the weather. It takes a moment for her to realize she's being spoken to, and that Ruiz is doing the speaking. She takes an earbud out and gets the question about a place to stay.

Is this a trick?

"Yeah I was able to move back into my old place on Oak Avenue," Cassidy explains - she's not running that hard, really, so it comes out normal.

Javier watches her in return for a moment or two. Maybe he's just half blinded by all the garish colour, and can't tear his gaze away. Eventually, a nod. He finishes shoving the last of the weights onto the bar and drops down onto his back, shuffling a little to position himself under it. "You're going to want to shore up on sandbags and, uh. Make sure if you've got a basement, shit's stored in watertight containers." He runs his tongue along his teeth lightly, then hefts the bar off the rack, and starts his reps with a soft grunt.

Cassidy hits the cool down button on her treadmill. It causes it to slow from a slow jog to a slow walk. She reaches for her bottle of water and takes a drink before responding.

"Yeah. I took care of it already. Thanks." She puts her earbud back in.

She takes her earbud back out. "Why are you suddenly so concerned about me?"

Five, six, seven, eight reps before he sets the bar down and lets his head drop back to the bench. A quick swallow before he grunts, "Don't want to have to deal with the paperwork, you go getting yourself killed in some deathtrap of a house on my watch." He doesn't look over as he speaks.

After a few seconds, he starts his next set of reps. For a middle-aged guy, he's got a pretty good set of guns, at least.

"Oh thanks, how sweet," Cassidy says in a cutsie voice (except it's drowning in sarcasm). She then scoffs and shakes her head. She sticks her earbud back in. "Should be worrying about yourself right now."

No answer from the captain. He finishes off his second set of reps, pushes upright, and goes to grab his canteen for a swig of water. The music switches to a heavy dance beat, and Javier rolls his shoulders a couple of times before dropping back down again to grip the bar. He looks for a moment like he's going to answer that.. but then nothing. Just that flash of something in his dark eyes as they slide toward Cassidy for an instant. Then away.

One, two, three, four..

Cassidy snatches her earbuds out. "God damnit," she mutters. She stops the treadmill and gets off. She grabs her water.

Then she's standing over Ruiz and looking down on him. She's poised, amazingly enough, and not mad. "Look. Just try and keep your head down for a few days, ok? And don't give anyone at the station a reason to start talking to the press."

Clang as the bar's set down in its cradle, a little harder than intended. He pushes himself upright again, reaches for his water bottle. His breathing's a rough, audible rasp; maybe he should cut back on the smoking, or something. "Well, shit, thanks. How the fuck did I ever get along without you, Bennet?" A quick swig of it's tossed back, knuckles scraped through his curls, still damp from the rain.

Cassidy press her lips together and nods to herself as she looks up and away without minimizing her composure. "I'd think long and hard about whether you want to make me your enemy right now." She blinks her blue eyes back to him. Then, she's leaving.

Is Cassidy expecting a reply to that? All she gets is a quick little baring of teeth from the Mexican before he flips the lid closed on his canteen, sets it back down, and settles in to finish his last set. The only sound that follows her departure is the opening few bars of Barbie Girl and the rhythmic clank, clank of the weights shifting against the bar as he counts off his reps.